Michael DeMocker, The Times-PicayuneFormer Gov. Edwin Edwards and his new bride, Trina, pose for photographers during a news conference at the Hotel Monteleone last July.

Though Edwards, always a staunch Democrat, was late to the luncheon due to a traffic jam on Interstate 12, he arrived tossing out quips and observations that captivated the large crowd at Tchefuncta Country Club outside Covington.

Masterly mixing jokes about Congress and married life with quotes from Cicero and the Dalai Lama, Edwards hit the ups and downs of his life, from his time in the Governor's Mansion to his eight-year incarceration for a federal racketeering conviction.

Notoriously controversial and ever accused of either stealing or steering government money to friends and associates, Edwards scanned the audience and said with a grin, "Some of you have probably heard some bad things about me ...''

The luncheon was sponsored in part by the Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis, perhaps fitting, given the former governor's love of gambling. Little red dice adorned the tables scattered about the room.

Noting the setting, Edwards, 84, said he was pleased to be invited and was well aware of the parish's conservative Republican demographics. With a grin, he wryly noted that he knew "it would be a very friendly audience.''

Referencing his new wife, Trina Scott Edwards, who is some 50 years younger and a Republican, Edwards said that he's been a Democrat all his life, but that he finally found a use for Republicans.

"You sleep with 'em,'' he said, bringing down the room.

Edwards said he didn't come to talk about politics, but nonetheless waded into the waters of current political affairs.

He said he would have voted for Barack Obama for president in 2008, had he not been in a place without voting machines (federal prison), but doesn't think Obama merits his support this time around.

He noted Obama's postponing of a decision on the Keystone Pipeline, which Edwards said would bring needed jobs, and the president's actions after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, when the Obama administration imposed an offshore drilling moratorium.

"When an airplane crashes, you don't close the airport,'' Edwards said.

Edwards also complained that Obama has taken too long to bring American soldiers home from Afghanistan.

"We're just spending our money,'' he said, noting the billions of dollars the U.S. has spent in Afghanistan. "We need to come home.''

Edwards also chided current Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, and other state politicians for using non-recurring revenues to plug holes in the state budget. Edwards said he would push a $5-per-barrel tax on oil production to help cover the state deficit.

Edwards, who after the speech sold and signed copies of the book about his life, "Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana,'' said he has been humbled by the warm reception of audiences across the state since his release from prison in January 2011. Edwards was convicted in 2000 of racketeering, extortion and fraud for demanding payoffs from businesses seeking riverboat gaming licenses.

He stressed he never stole money from the state of Louisiana, adding, "I just trusted the wrong people.''

Ever mindful of what he wants his legacy to be -- a governor who helped the downtrodden and successfully fought the federal government for larger shares of oil and gas royalties rather than one who went to jail for corruption -- Edwards thanked the audience for listening to his stories.